We’re taking economic policy to the next level with the most accessible tax and benefit model ever built. — At PolicyEngine, we strive to make tax and benefit policy accessible to everyone. That’s why we’ve not only built an open source rules engine for researchers, but also a free, intuitive web app where anyone can explore policies and customisable reforms. Today we’re launching a new version of our web…

We’re exiting beta with the most accessible tax and benefit model ever built. — At PolicyEngine, we strive to make tax and benefit policy accessible to everyone. That’s why we’ve not only built an open source rules engine for researchers, but also a free, intuitive web app where anyone can explore policies and customizable reforms. Today we’re launching a new version of our web…

A year of launches, analysis, and building for the future. — When we wrote last year’s year in review blog post, PolicyEngine had only three months and one country model (the UK) under its belt. Still, we showed how our transparent, software-driven approach to public policy analysis could transform society through our range of features, use cases, and partnerships. This year…

We’ve used modern data science techniques to make PolicyEngine the UK’s most accurate microsimulation model. In 2023, we’ll do the same in the US. — The PolicyEngine US app uses a microsimulation model to compute the impact of custom tax and benefit reforms on the Current Population Survey (CPS). While the CPS is widely used for policy analysis, it contains inaccuracies that can impact the accuracy of policy simulations.

A step-by-step guide to syncing our code with the latest legislation — The US Senate has recently passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, also known as the omnibus bill. If the House of Representatives and President Biden sign it, it will create or amend several federal programs. One of these programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is modeled…

PolicyEngine estimates the tax impact of your donations for free. — Today is Giving Tuesday, when many Americans will consider giving to charity. Filers who itemize can deduct these charitable contributions from their taxable income. For many filers, these donations will reduce tax liability, either by putting them over the itemization threshold or increasing their itemized deductions. This video shows an…

Enter your household information, and our free web app will estimate your SSI — plus other taxes and benefits. — Low-income seniors and people with disabilities can claim Supplemental Security Income, a monthly cash benefit run by the Social Security Administration. Last year, over 7 million people claimed over $50 billion in SSI benefits. In this post, you’ll see how to estimate your own SSI benefits based on your income…

New Yorkers can now estimate their state income taxes alongside federal taxes and benefits — and change the rules, too. — New York state taxes individual income at rates ranging from 4% to 10.9%. But it also has a slew of income adjustments, supplementary rates, deductions, exemptions, and credits. Short of using tax software in April or hiring a tax accountant, how can you estimate your tax bill?